Volkswagen Group of America President and CEO Michael Horn is sworn in while testifying to the House Energy and Commerce Committee's Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill October 8, 2015 in Washington, DC.

Volkswagen's top U.S. executive went before a congressional committee Thursday to answer questions about why his company intentionally circumvented emissions regulations by installing illegal software in millions of its diesel-powered vehicles.

It was a blockbuster day in Washington as Volkswagen Group America President and CEO Michael Horn took hard-ball questions and harsh criticism from TheHouse Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations.

No excuses

While under oath, Horn admitted that the illegal software installed in the TDI-models produced between 2009 and 2015 were "for the express purpose of beating tests," as it was phrased by Rep. Tim Murphy, a Republican from Pennsylvania."It was installed for this purpose, yes," Horn said.

This isn't a surprise given the repeated apologies from Volkswagen higher-ups, including Horn, but it's still nice to hear it stated so resoundingly.

Volkswagen announced plans to refit up to 11 million vehicles last month.

(Volkswagen)

Mikey didn't know...

Though Horn was apologetic about Dieselgate, he vehemently denied any large conspiracy and professed his lack of awareness. According to his testimony he wasn't aware that his company was installing software that masked diesel emissions during testing.

But he wasn't clueless

Horn admitted that he'd heard of possible issues with some vehicles as early as the spring of 2014, though he said he wasn't aware of the exact software, known as a "defeat device," until last month when the German company was busted by the U.S. Environmental Protection agency.

The Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, hopes to force a recall of Volkswagen's diesel engine vehicles released between 2009 and 2015 and is threatening the German automaker with $18 billion in fines for violating emissions standards set by the Clean Air Act.

(Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Congress ain't happy

Some elected officials were quite displeased with the fact that nearly half a million Volkswagen TDIs were emitting (as much as 50 times) more than the legal limit of nitrogen oxide.

“We’re here because Volkswagen lied,” Rep. Frank Pallone, a Democrat from New Jersey, said. “This seems to be a pervasive culture of deception in the auto industry and it has to stop now.”

BERLIN, GERMANY: The fuel nozzle of a diesel pump deposits diesel fuel into a Volkswagen car at a petrol staiton on September 25, 2015 in Berlin, Germany. Volkswagen is seeking a new CEO following the recent resingation of Martin Winterkorn in the wake of allegations by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that the company had installed software into its diesel cars sold in the U.S. that manipulated emissions test results.

(Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

An unidentified GOP lawmaker had the most quoted statement of the day when he told the Associated Press that the Volkswagen's emissions cheating scandal was a "fundamental violation of public trust."

Execs pass the buck

Horn claimed Volkswagen's top officials had nothing to do with the emissions tampering.

"This was not a corporate decision," Horn said, instead placing the blame on "a couple of software engineers" who he said installed the software.

Porsche chief executive Matthias Mueller and then-CEO of Volkswagen AG Martin Winterkorn are seen at the 66th IAA auto show in Frankfurt am Main, western Germany, on September 17, 2015. German auto giant Volkswagen revealed on September 22, 2015 that 11 million diesel cars worldwide are equipped with devices that can cheat pollution tests, a dramatic expansion of a scandal that immediately sent its shares plummeting by another 20 percent.

(ODD ANDERSEN/AFP/Getty Images)

A long road ahead

Horn has proposed repairs to the affected models but was unable to give a timeline for how long that hefty task would take to complete. The cars that will need alterations date back to 2009 and will need significant overhauls as they do not have space for the necessary, proper equipment.

VW is still developing a plan for just how to fix these diesels but admits it will take years to complete all the repairs due to complexities with both hardware and software.

Michael Horn, President and CEO of Volkswagen Group of America, speaks at a press event on the eve of The North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan, on January 11, 2015.

(GEOFF ROBINS/AFP/Getty Images)

Fool me once...

New allegations abound with the recently-withdrawn 2016 models, as congressional representatives and the EPA and regulators begin to look into if there is yet another VW computer program in those automobiles with similar disingenuous intentions.

Volkswagen is facing upwards of $18 billion in fines from the EPA alone.

Several Volkswagen TDI model diesel engine vehicles were using software to circumvent emissions standards during testing between 2009 and 2015.

(Volkswagen)

More trouble at home

As Horn was being sworn in on Capitol Hill, German investigators were raiding Volkswagen's offices in Wolfsburg, Germany and elsewhere. Unlike the U.S., companies can't be charged with crimes, but executives can (we're looking at you, Martin Winterkorn, and so is the German government).